Sunday, February 10, 2008

Villanova Seton Hall- Nova takes it!

I’m not a huge fan of college basketball, but somehow I always end up near it:  In the early 90s, my then-rock-band played the Final Four in Charlotte, NC.  One of my good friends has been taking me to the Big East in New York for 2 years running, and recently, I was asked to go on a journalistic assignment by a California destination video firm to capture some footage of the Villanova fans getting ready to take their seats at the Villanova Pavilion.

This was one of those cool shoots where it was totally up to me where to take the camera.  The company that hired me gave me a “shot list,” and it was then on me to go find the shots.  There was no interest in the game itself for this piece, but rather, it was all about profiling the many types of people who make up Villanova Basketball’s fan base.  Naturally, I knew I’d eventually end up outside the Pavilion, but it occurred to me that there might be some good footage in the bars...boy was I right.

So many bars, so little time

As I started cruising towards the Villanova campus, I knew there were tons of bars.  On a tip from a friend, I singled out a few bars that were most likely to draw hoops fans through their doors.  I started out at Kelly’s on Lancaster Avenue.  A nice bar, and perhaps more of the kind of bar that would accomodate alumns rather than students.  The place was more on the elegant side, and definitely for those sports fans who wanted to watch the game on TV from the comfort of their chairs.  After explaining to the owner what I wanted to do in his bar, he happily agreed and let me speak to some folks.  Everyone was so great, and I have to say I miss everything-college.  There’s just such a difference in priorities, even for the alumns, who for a moment harken back to the days when they were students.  Everyone’s cares seemed to just float away...of course, the beer wasn’t hurtin’ anything!  As I was “on duty,” I couldn’t partake…

After about 50 cents worth of my 75 cents depleting from the parking meter, I decided on a tip from some folks in Kelly’s bar to head about a block east to Maloney’s Pub.  Not only was the place completely jammed, but it was jammed with Villanova seniors who were, among other things, celebrating 100 days until graduation.  When the bouncer saw me, he motioned to the bartender, who I believe was also the owner.  When I explained my purpose and presented my credentials in the form of a business card and a high definition camera, he happily let me in.  The students immediately noticed the camera and the noise levels went up to about 120 decibels.  I happily spoke to many students, as well as some “seniors” who joked that when they heard it was a “senior” party they mistakenly showed up thinking it was for the soon-to-be-retired.  There were rabid Villanova hoops fans everywhere, and they gave me a lot of great shots.

Back to the Pavilion

I got to the Pavilion about 4:30 to shoot in advance of a 6:00 pm game.  It was pretty empty when I got there, but it started picking up very quickly.  He helped us identify the players as they were arriving, and I had a chance to briefly interview one who gave us the opening voiceover in the movie below.  I had great responses from the many hundreds of fans who started to make their way to the game, and I looked down at my shot list and saw that I had accomplished my mission.  I then started getting some great “b roll” shots on campus and began to pack up for the day as I was losing my light anyway.

It was a great day at Villanova and the surrounding areas.  I was thankful to everyone for their cooperation in my quest to chronicle Villanova hoops!  Check out the movie below!

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